Bruker Nabs Prairie, Bolstering Its AFM Line

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Bruker said it acquired multiphoton fluorescence microscopy pioneer Prairie Technologies for an undisclosed price, in a deal the acquiring company said would enable it to enter the fluorescence microscopy market.

Bruker said it intends to operate Prairie Technologies as a business unit that will draw upon the global marketing, distribution, and service capabilities of its Nano Surfaces division, thereby adding to its existing life science atomic force microscopy (Bio-AFM) systems.

Prairie’s two-photon microscopy product lines Ultima and Ultima In Vivo, along with associated accessories, are designed to enable advanced brain slice and intra-vital studies deep into tissues, allowing a penetration depth of more than 900 microns.

According to Prairie, Ultima was the first commercial system designed to accommodate two sets of galvanometer scanners in one scanhead, allowing for simultaneous imaging and uncaging using two lasers. Ultima In Vivo, designed to facilitate in vivo imaging, provides 8–13 inches (20–33 cm) of clearance under the objective lens.

“Their Ultima two-photon microscopy product line and the new Opterra swept-field, multipoint-scanning, confocal fluorescence product line present new exciting areas of growth for Bruker, while providing significant synergies with our Bio-AFM offerings,” Mark R. Munch, Ph.D., president of the Bruker MAT Group, said in a statement.

Prairie has about 30 employees worldwide, and the company generated revenues last year of some $11 million. Bruker said it will continue to operate the company in the Madison, WI area. The company is now based in Middleton, WI.